JP2001351285A - Videocassette recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a display which gives a certain amount fixed interest, at fast-forwarding or rewinding of a video tape. SOLUTION: A dynamic image, through which an animation rabbit 2 riding on a skateboard 1 runs to one direction while jumping over various kinds of obstacles 4, is stored in a memory previously. Then, when fast-forwarding of video tape is selected, by reproducing the dynamic image in the forward direction from the memory for displaying on a TV monitor, fast-forward direction is displayed according to the direction of movement of the rabbit 2, and the tape-remaining amount of the fast-forward is displayed on size of the obstacle 4. Also, when rewinding of the video tape is selected, by reproducing the dynamic image from the memory in reverse to display on the TV monitor, a rewinding direction is displayed according to direction of movement of the rabbit 2, and the tape remaining amount of the rewinding is displayed by the size of the obstacle 4. Thereby, the fast-forwarding and the rewinding operations which are interesting are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video cassette recorder for recording and reproducing video signals on a video cassette tape inserted through a cassette insertion slot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a video cassette recorder of this type, when fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape, a TV monitor screen is set to a blue-back screen, and arrows indicating a fast-forward direction and a rewind direction are displayed here. Until the fast-forward operation and the rewind operation are completed, the system waits.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned display is uninteresting and particularly boring for children and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a video cassette recorder which can give a user a certain interest even when fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a video cassette recorder for recording and reproducing a video signal on and from a video cassette tape inserted from a cassette insertion slot. Includes mobile characters that arouse user interest,
A state in which the moving character advances in at least one of a fast-forward direction and a rewind direction of the video tape is shown, and a first moving image whose contents gradually change in accordance with the progress of the moving character is stored. When the fast forward of the video tape is selected, or when the rewind of the video tape is selected, the first moving image is read out from the first storage unit and is read to the monitor. By displaying, the fast-forward direction or the rewind direction is expressed by the moving direction of the moving object character, and the fast-forward remaining amount or the rewind remaining amount is expressed by the change of the first moving image. It is characterized by the following.

[0006] In the video cassette recorder of the present invention, the first storage means includes a moving object character which evokes the user's interest in advance, and the moving object character is in at least one of a fast-forward direction and a rewind direction of the video tape. And a first moving image whose content gradually changes in accordance with the progress of the moving object character. When fast-forwarding of the video tape is selected, the first moving image is read out from the first storage means and displayed on a monitor, so that the fast-forwarding direction is expressed by the moving direction of the moving object character, and the first moving image is displayed. To express the remaining amount of fast forward.

[0007] Even when the rewinding of the video tape is selected, the first moving image is read from the first storage means and displayed on the monitor, so that the moving body character moves in a direction opposite to that at the time of fast-forwarding. The rewind direction is expressed by the direction, and the rewind remaining amount is expressed by a change in the first moving image. Therefore, when fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape, the direction of fast-forwarding and rewinding and the remaining amount of the tape are determined by a moving image including a moving object character, instead of an uninteresting image such as displaying an arrow on a blue background as in the past. It can be expressed and give the user a certain interest even when fast-forwarding or rewinding the video tape.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an embodiment of a video cassette recorder according to the present invention will be described in detail. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the video cassette recorder in the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a tape traveling system and a control system of the video cassette recorder in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the video cassette recorder according to the present embodiment has an insertion slot 110 for a video cassette (omitted in FIG. 1), various operation keys, display lamps, and the like arranged on a front surface of a housing 100. The cassette insertion slot 110 has an opening / closing lid 110A. When a video cassette is inserted and the opening / closing lid 110A is tilted inward, an internal cassette mounting mechanism (not shown) is activated, and the video cassette is inserted into the housing 100. Is set at a predetermined loading position.

A power button 120 is used to turn on and off the power of the video cassette recorder. A power lamp 121 provided on the power button 120 is a lamp indicating that power is supplied to the video cassette recorder. The power lamp 121 is turned off when the power is off, and is lit when the power is on. The cassette eject key 130 is for instructing removal of a video cassette.
When the is pressed, the cassette mounting mechanism is activated, and operates to discharge the video cassette from inside the housing 100 to the cassette insertion slot 100. The setup key 140 is a key for the user to make various settings.

The slide key 150 and the push key 160 are used in pairs to lock the video cassette recorder in a use-prohibited state. That is, when the push key 160 is pressed, the slide key 1
50 is slid in the direction of arrow A, and the push key 160
Is released, the slide key 150 is held in a state of sliding in the direction of arrow A. In this state, the open / close lid 110A of the cassette insertion slot 110 is locked in a state where it cannot be opened / closed, and the cassette removal key 130 is also locked in a state where it cannot be operated. In this manner, the video cassette recorder can be set to the unusable state. When the push key 160 is pressed to slide the slide key 150 in the direction opposite to the arrow A and the push key 160 is released, the slide key 150 is maintained at the original position. In this state, the lock is released, the opening / closing lid 110A of the cassette insertion slot 110 can be opened and closed, and the cassette removal key 130 can also be operated.

A recording mode selection key 170 is a key for selecting whether a recording mode for a video tape is a normal mode or a long time mode.
0 is a key for instructing a recording operation on a video tape. A playback key 190 is a key for instructing a playback operation on a video tape, and a rewind key 200
Is a key for instructing rewinding of the video tape. The fast-forward key 210 is a key for instructing fast-forward of the video tape, and the stop key 220 is a key for instructing stop of recording, reproduction, rewind, and fast-forward of the video tape.

Next, referring to FIG.
0 is set at the loading position in the housing 100 by the cassette mounting mechanism.
The video tape 310 of No. 00 is pulled out by a loading mechanism including a roller 410 and is placed in a state of slidingly contacting the outer peripheral surface of the rotary drum 400 on which the magnetic head is mounted. Also, each reel unit 3 of the video cassette 300
20A and 320B are engaged with reel stands 420A and 420B provided on the video cassette recorder, and are rotationally driven by a reel driving mechanism (not shown).

The reel unit 320 by the reel driving mechanism
A, the rotation speed of 320B is determined by the sensor units 430A, 430
B. This sensor section 430A, 430
B is, for example, the reel base 420A, 420B side (rotation side)
, An encoder plate provided with reflection portions and non-reflection portions alternately around the rotation axis thereof, and a reflection-type optical sensor (that is, a sensor) is provided on the chassis side (fixed side) of the video cassette recorder opposed to the encoder plate. Parts 430A, 430
B) is arranged, and the rotation speed of the reel units 320A and 320B is detected by detecting the switching speed of the reflection part and the non-reflection part of the encoder plate by the reflection type optical sensor. By detecting the rotation speeds of the reel units 320A and 320B, the remaining amount of the tape on each of the reel units 320A and 320B is managed, and acceleration and deceleration control during fast-forwarding and rewinding of the tape is performed. The configuration of the sensor unit is not limited to the above example, and a combination of a magnetic material and a Hall element, for example, may be used.

Also, such reel units 320A, 32
The rotation speed detection of 0B is used when displaying an animation character image (first moving image) at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding a video tape, which is a feature of the present invention. In other words, in this example, when the video tape is fast-forwarded and rewound, an animation character image whose contents change according to the change in the remaining tape is displayed, and fast-forward or rewind is instructed in the middle of the tape. In this case, the remaining tape amount at that time is calculated from the detection of the rotation speed of the reel units 320A and 320B, and a moving image corresponding to the calculated remaining amount is displayed.

A control section 440 controls the entire video cassette recorder, and includes a CPU, a RO,
M, RAM and the like. In particular, in this example, the first storage means for storing the first moving image displayed at the time of fast-forward and rewind of the video tape and the second storage means for storing the second moving image displayed at the time of loading the video tape are R
It is provided in a semiconductor memory such as an OM or a RAM. The operation unit 450 includes various operation keys provided on the front surface of the housing 100 and other operation keys (such as a remote control operation), and operation signals from the operation unit 450 are sequentially transmitted to the control unit. Transferred to 440 for processing. Further, the timer unit 460 performs various kinds of time measurement required in the video cassette recorder.

Next, the function of displaying animated character images (first and second moving images) at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding a video tape and at the time of loading, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described. First, the display function of the animation character image (first moving image) at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video tape will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a first specific example of a first moving image used at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding a video tape in this example. As shown, in this example, an animation rabbit 2 on a skateboard 1 is used as a mobile character.

When the video tape is fast-forwarded and rewound, the skateboard 1 and the rabbit 2 are moved in the respective directions.
Moves and indicates its direction. That is,
When the videotape is fast-forwarded, the skateboard 1 and the rabbit 2 appear from the left end of the display screen 3 and move so as to pass through to the right end. Conversely, when rewinding the video tape, the skateboard 1 and the rabbit 2 appear from the right end of the display screen 3 and move so as to pass through to the left end. The movement of the rabbit 2 expresses the fast-forward direction and the rewind direction, and at the same time, arouses the interest of children and the like. When such a rabbit 2 moves, various onomatopoeia corresponding to the movement of the rabbit 2 are inserted,
I try to improve the fun. For example, a sound of cutting a wind, a sound of a jump, a cry of a rabbit, and the like.

In this example, the same moving image is used for fast-forwarding and rewinding of a video tape, and when a moving image is read from a semiconductor memory, it is read out in the opposite directions during fast-forwarding and rewinding. Thus, the fast-forward direction and the rewind direction are expressed. As described above, the same moving image is used for fast-forwarding and rewinding of a video tape, thereby saving memory capacity.

In this example, an obstacle (for example, a block of concrete or the like) 4 is arranged on the moving path of the rabbit 2, and the rabbit 2 jumps from the skateboard 1 as shown in FIG. It moves while jumping over the obstacle 4. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the obstacle 4 moves rapidly during fast-forward (that is, as the tape remaining amount decreases).
It gradually increases, and at the time of rewinding, gradually decreases as the rewinding progresses (that is, the remaining tape amount increases). That is, in this example, such a change in the obstacle 4 represents the remaining amount of fast-forward or the remaining amount of rewind.

At the time of reproducing such a moving image, the remaining tape is calculated by detecting the rotation speed of the tape reel described above, and the moving image is read out by using the memory address corresponding to the remaining tape to obtain the remaining tape. The quantity can be represented almost exactly by the size of the obstacle. In particular, when fast-forward or rewind is specified in the middle of a tape, the remaining tape amount at that time is detected, and a memory address for reading a moving image is determined according to the detection result. As described above, in this example, the fast-forward direction, the remaining amount of fast-forward, the rewind direction, and the remaining amount of rewind can be expressed by using the moving image of the moving object by the animation character, and the interesting fast-forward operation which has not existed in the past. , A rewind operation can be provided.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second specific example of the first moving image used at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video tape in this example. This example uses an elephant 5 that rides on a ball as a moving object character, and expresses a fast-forward direction and a rewind direction according to the traveling direction of the elephant 5. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the number of balls 6 increases or decreases according to the change in the remaining tape amount, and the number of obstacles (blocks or the like) 7 that need to be passed over increases or decreases. Thereby, the fast-forward remaining amount and the rewinding remaining amount are expressed.

Although two specific examples have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible. For example, the animation character is not limited to a pet animal or an appreciation animal, but may be a virtual creature such as a bird, an insect, a fish, or a pegasus. Further, a vehicle such as a sports car or an airplane that the child likes, or a machine such as an anthropomorphic robot may be used. In addition, the moving object character does not necessarily need to be an animation but may be a moving object character based on a live-action video.

In the above-described example, a common moving image is used for fast-forward and rewind. However, moving images created separately may be used separately for fast-forward and rewind.
Also, a plurality of types of first moving images having different contents are stored, and the first moving image is stored when the video tape is fast-forwarded or rewound.
Moving images may be sequentially or randomly selected and displayed. If you always get the same image, you will get tired of it, but you can double your interest by replacing multiple images. Alternatively, a plurality of types of first moving images having different contents may be stored, and the user may select the first moving image to be used when fast-forwarding or rewinding the video tape. Fast forward and rewind can be performed with an image that suits the user's preference. As a selection method, for example, it is assumed that a setting key is pressed on an attached remote control terminal to display an image selection menu screen, and selection can be made on this screen.

Further, a selection means may be provided for the user to select not to display the first moving image at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video tape. For example, when the user presses the display key of the attached remote control device while the first moving image is displayed at the time of actual fast-forward or rewind, the display of the first moving image disappears, and the conventional blue image is displayed. The display switches to fast forward and rewind by back. Thereafter, every time fast-forwarding or rewinding, fast-forwarding or rewinding display by blue back is selected. By pressing the display key of the remote controller again, the display of the first moving image can be restored.

Next, a function of displaying an animation character image (second moving image) when loading a video tape will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a first specific example of the second moving image used at the time of loading a video tape in this example. The second moving image shows a state in which the duck 11 jumps off the platform 12 as a content reminiscent of the activation of the system. By reading such a moving image from a memory and displaying it on a TV monitor when a video cassette tape is inserted from the cassette insertion slot,
Indicates that the videotape is being loaded. Since such a second moving image has a substantially constant loading time, it is assumed that the second moving image is composed of a moving image having a length corresponding to the time.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a second specific example of the second moving image used at the time of loading a video tape in this example. This second moving image also shows a state in which the dog 21 jumps over the table 22 and has a content reminiscent of the activation of the system. In the present example, such a second moving image is displayed during loading of the video tape, thereby providing children and the like with an interesting time.

Note that such a second moving image may be an image reminiscent of the activation of the system, and may be, for example, an image in which a flower opens or a bud of a plant appears. The image is not limited to animals and plants, but may be an image of a car starting or an airplane taking off. Alternatively, a plurality of types of second moving images having different contents may be stored, and the second moving images may be sequentially or randomly selected and displayed when loading a video tape. If you always get the same image, you will get tired of it, but you can double your interest by replacing multiple images. Alternatively, a plurality of types of second moving images having different contents may be stored, and the user may select a second moving image to be used when loading a video tape. Loading can be performed with an image that suits the user's preference. As a selection method, for example, it is assumed that a setting key is pressed on an attached remote control terminal to display an image selection menu screen, and selection can be made on this screen.

Further, a selection means may be provided for the user to select not to display the second moving image at the time of loading the video tape. For example, when the user presses the display key of the attached remote control device while the second moving image is displayed at the time of actual loading, the display of the second moving image disappears, and nothing is displayed in the conventional single color. The screen switches to a screen that has not been set. Thereafter, each time loading is performed, a monochrome screen is selected. By pressing the display key of the remote controller again, the display of the second moving image can be restored.

[0029]

As described above, the video cassette recorder according to the present invention includes a moving object character that evokes the user's interest, and the moving object character advances in at least one of the fast-forward direction and the rewind direction of the video tape. And a first storage unit that stores a first moving image whose content gradually changes in accordance with the progress of the moving object character, and when fast-forwarding of a video tape is selected, or When the rewind of the video tape is selected, the first moving image is read from the first storage means and displayed on the monitor, thereby expressing the fast forward direction or the rewind direction depending on the moving direction of the moving object character. Together with the amount of fast-forwarding remaining due to the change of the first moving image,
Alternatively, the remaining amount of rewind is expressed. Therefore, when fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape, the direction of fast-forwarding and rewinding and the remaining amount of the tape are determined by a moving image including a moving object character, instead of an uninteresting image such as displaying an arrow on a blue background as in the past. It is possible to express, to give the user a certain interest even when fast-forwarding or rewinding the video tape, and to improve entertainment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a video cassette recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a tape running system and a control system of the video cassette recorder shown in FIG.

3 is an explanatory diagram showing a first specific example of a first moving image used at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding a video tape in the video cassette recorder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the operation of the first moving image shown in FIG. 3 has changed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the operation of the first moving image shown in FIG. 3 is further changed.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the operation of the first moving image shown in FIG. 3 is further changed.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second specific example of the first moving image used at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video tape in the video cassette recorder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the operation of the first moving image shown in FIG. 7 has changed.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a first specific example of a second moving image used when loading a video tape in the video cassette recorder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 shows a second moving image used for loading a video tape in the video cassette recorder shown in FIG. 1;
It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... skateboard, 2 ... rabbit, 3 ... display screen, 4, 7 ... obstacle, 5 ... elephant, 6 ... ball, 11 ...
... Ducks, 12, 22 ... Stands, 21 ... Dogs, 100 ...
... Case, 110 ... Cassette insertion slot, 110A ... Open / close lid, 120 ... Power button, 121 ... Power lamp, 1
30 cassette eject key, 140 setup key, 150 slide key, 160 push key, 170 recording mode selection key, 180 recording key, 190 playback key, 200 rewind Key,
210: fast-forward key, 220: stop key, 300:
... Video cassette, 310 ... Video tape, 320
A, 320B ... reel part, 400 ... rotating drum, 4
10 Rollers, 420A, 420B Reel base, 4
30A, 430B: sensor unit, 440: control unit, 4
50 ... operation unit, 460 ... timer unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Nozomi Yamamoto, Inventor Sony Corporation 7-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Osamu Yoshitake 8-4, Shiomi, Kisarazu-shi, Chiba Sony Kisarazu Stock In-house (72) Inventor Kunihiko Shindo 8-4 Shiomi, Kisarazu-shi, Chiba F-term (reference) in Sony Kisarazu Corporation 5C018 DA02 DC04 FA03 FB02 HA09 JA01 JB05 JC00 MA03 NA07 5D101 AC01 AD08 LA14 LA22 LA47

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A video cassette recorder that records and reproduces a video signal on and from a video cassette tape inserted through a cassette insertion slot, comprising: a moving object character that evokes user's interest; And a first storage means for storing a first moving image whose contents gradually change in accordance with the progress of the moving object character, while indicating a state in which the moving object character advances in at least one of the fast-forward direction and the rewind direction. If fast-forwarding the videotape is selected, or
When the rewind of the video tape is selected, the first moving image is read from the first storage means and displayed on a monitor, so that the fast-forward direction or the rewind direction depends on the traveling direction of the moving object character. A video cassette recorder, wherein the video cassette recorder expresses the remaining amount of fast-forward or rewinding by the change of the first moving image. 2. The first moving image is read out from the first storage means in the opposite direction from each other when the video tape is fast-forwarded and when the video tape is rewound, so that the first moving image is fast-forwarded and rewound. 2. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein the direction is expressed. 3. The first moving image has a first moving image that expresses fast-forwarding of a video tape and a first moving image that expresses rewinding separately, and differs between fast-forwarding and rewinding. 2. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein one moving image is selected and displayed. 4. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein said first storage means is a semiconductor memory. 5. When the fast forward of the video tape is selected, or when the rewind of the video tape is selected, the remaining tape amount at that time is detected, and the tape remaining amount is detected in accordance with the detection result. 2. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein an address at which the first moving image is read from one storage means is determined. 6. The video cassette recorder according to claim 5, wherein the detection of the remaining amount of the tape is calculated from a rotation speed of each reel of the video tape. 7. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein the moving object character is an animation character representing the moving object by animation. 8. The video cassette recorder according to claim 7, wherein said animated character is an animated character of various moving creatures or virtual creatures obtained by transforming them. 9. The video cassette recorder according to claim 7, wherein the animation character is an animation character of various vehicles or machines. 10. The moving object character according to claim 7, wherein the moving object character is a character based on a real image of the moving object.
Video cassette recorder as described. 11. A fast-forwarding remaining amount or a rewinding remaining amount is expressed by arranging obstacles in order on the traveling route of the moving object character and changing the degree of obstacles caused by the obstacles. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Video cassette recorder as described. 12. The video cassette recorder according to claim 11, wherein the obstacle gradually increases when the video tape is fast-forwarded, and the obstacle gradually decreases when the video tape is rewound. . 13. A plurality of types of first moving images having different contents are stored in the first storage means, and the first moving images are sequentially or randomly selected at the time of fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape. 2. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein the video cassette recorder is displayed. 14. A plurality of types of first moving images having different contents are stored in the first storage means, and a user is allowed to select a first moving image to be used at the time of fast-forwarding or rewinding a video tape. 2. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, wherein said first moving image is displayed. 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first moving image is displayed and an audio output corresponding to the content is performed.
Video cassette recorder as described. 16. The video cassette recorder according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that allows a user to select not to display the first moving image at the time of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video tape. 17. A second storage means for storing a second moving image that evokes the user's interest, wherein when a video cassette tape is inserted from a cassette insertion slot and loading is performed, the second storage means is provided. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second moving image is read out and displayed on a monitor.
Video cassette recorder as described. 18. The video cassette recorder according to claim 17, wherein the second moving image is an image reminiscent of the activation of a system. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the second moving image includes an animation character representing the moving object by animation, and is an image reminiscent of the activation of the system by starting or flying of the moving object. Video cassette recorder. 20. A plurality of types of second moving images having different contents are stored in the second storage means, and the second moving images are sequentially or randomly selected and displayed when loading a video tape. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein
Video cassette recorder as described. 21. A plurality of second moving images having different contents are stored in the second storage means, and a user is allowed to select a second moving image to be used when loading a video tape,
18. The video cassette recorder according to claim 17, wherein the selected second moving image is displayed. 22. The video cassette recorder according to claim 17, further comprising a selection unit that allows a user to select not to display the second moving image when loading the video tape.